What are the options for eco-friendly cat litter?

Let's explore the facts around this puzzle.

Fact: There are approximately 88.3 million companion cats in the United States, according to the Humane Society of the US.

Fact: All of them poop. The poop and the kitty litter must go somewhere.

Fact: The traditional clay litters have been criticized for being resourced through strip-mining, and may contain harmful chemicals that cats can lick from their fur.

These three facts alone are reason enough to feel the effects of a conundrum, but let's explore further.

Fact: Flushing cat poop down the toilet is an option once suggested by environmentalists, but is now an eco- No-No. Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found in cat's intestines, can be passed through the feces.

When flushed, the T. Gondii travels with the toilet water from your house to a treatment center (where it resists treatment) to the bay to the Pacific Ocean and into the habitat of many sea creatures, including the Sea Otter.

A UC Davis study of otters that live in areas near freshwater runoff, found that 42% of live otters and 62% of dead otters tested positive for T.  Gondii.

In fact, recent legislation will require kitty litters bags to include warning labels about flushing.

(Editor's note: QUEST's very first TV story, ""What's Killing the Sea Otters?" – 2/6/07- " covers this topic in detail.)

Now that we are clear on the conundrum, let's explore some options.

Reclaimed Wood Litter: Litter made from reclaimed wood is an greener option. Pine and cedar sawdust that would normally end up in landfills is concentrated without the use of dangerous chemicals to produce environmentally safe litter. Feline Pine, Nature's Earth and Catfresh are options.

Recycled Newspaper Litter: Try litter made from recycled newspapers. The paper absorbs just as well and re-uses resources. Two great brands are Yesterdays News and Good Mews.

Plant-based Litters: Plant-based litters are made from materials such as corn, corncobs, cornhusks, wheat by-products, wheat grass and beet pulp. These biodegradable materials, have no odor, are very absorbent and don't produce the same kind or volume of dust as clay litters.

Biodegradable Bags: These are available at most pet stores. Use the biodegradable litter with them.

Composting: Being a Zoo employee, we are BIG composters of our herbivore poop, creating rich and wonderful soil to grow our botanical paradise at Knowland Park. NatureMill, makers of the pet-friendly composter claim that it is possible to compost pet poop, as well.  This composter, made from recycled and recyclable materials, is an easy to use alternative. Just add food scraps and the computerized composter heats up the ingredients to the 140 degrees (the EPA suggests over 130 degrees). Out comes soil for your flowerbed.

Make Your Own Kitty Litter: The DIY-crowd may even wish to attempt a hand-crafted solution.

These are all great alternatives that, of course, present more questions. Like all environmental issues these days, each solution may lead to a new puzzle or conundrum for us to wrap our greening brains around. Let's keep on exploring!

Amy Gotliffe talks to the Snare Removal Team at the Budongo
Snare Removal Project. The Oakland Zoo has supported them
since 1991.

It is time you did.

Zoos are actually one of the biggest supporters of field conservation for habitats and animals. In fact, as I write this on my laptop, I am looking around a giant conference room jammed with people from all over the world, representing zoological institutions, conservation organizations, NGOS, donor organizations and superstar field biologists. The bi-annual ZACC Conference (Zoos Committing to Conservation) is a  way for zoos to connect with, partner with and support the wild cousins of their captive population. As we wait for the final speaker to present, the room is buzzing with inspired ideas and concrete plan-making.

Zoos and aquariums support conservation in a variety of ways, big and small. They raise and donate financial support, send medical, educational and operational supplies to projects, raise awareness through lectures, classes and publications, donate expertise by sending vets and other staff to project sites and sell indigenous wares in their gift shops. They band together with other zoos in their ecosystem to work on local conservation issues, breed and release species and provide medical attention to local wildlife. They also exercise their most valuable resource, education.

There are many admirable conservation organizations around the world, but zoos have a unique advantage: they welcome 175 million people through their gates each year. These families or individuals, on a nice, affordable day out, can be exposed to conservation messages at a variety of levels. In fact, zoos were ranked among the top most trusted messengers of wildlife conservation.

Awed by a view of an African elephant walking an expansive habitat, moved by the gaze of a chimpanzee studying their expression, amazed by the magnificent coat of a tiger playing in water, a person cannot help but be opened by these individual beings. In this open state of mind, an encounter with a docent, teacher, presentation or educational signage about conservation issues and solutions, can lead a visitor down a path from knowledge and compassion to action.

The last presentation of the afternoon, a rhino project, has just spoken and has ended by thanking the zoos of the audience, stating that much of their funding comes from the generosity and care of zoos. This has been the closing sentiments of most presenters. As we have reached a critical time in the history of conserving wildlife, now is the time for all of us to care and take action. It is fortunate that most zoos do just that.

The Oakland Zoo is proud of our commitment to support local, national and international field conservation. Check www.oaklandzoo.org for more information.

So we visited zookeeper Andrea Dougall at the Oakland Zoo to learn about their Malayan and Island Flying Fox. Both are a type of fruit bat, and I couldn’t readily see the difference between them. There are many fascinating things that Andrea taught us about these bats that we couldn't fit into our two minute segment (and honestly, this producer wouldn't mind making a half hour special on these critters!). For instance, they have a lot of blood vessels in their wing tissue, so they make excellent thermo-regulators. If the bat is cold, he wraps himself up in his wings so that the heat from his blood vessels can keep him warm. Likewise, when it's hot out the bats flap their wings to cool off.

When Andrea told us that bats are the only mammals that can have sustained flight by flapping their wings, someone said "but what about the flying squirrel?" Nope– they glide.

These bats don't actually swallow the fruit that they eat, instead they chew it into small pieces, push it up against the roof of their mouth to ring out the juice, which they then swallow, and spit out the leftovers. This is something that Andrea reminded me of when I told her I'd like to take one of these cute critters home as a pet… the amount of rotten fruit pulp that you have to pick up is really unappealing. Plus, of course, it would be illegal.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing to me is the simple fact that these animals spend all of their time hanging upside down. I asked Andrea about that too– how is it possible that they wouldn't experience some sort of leg fatigue and let go of their grip? She told me what's in the scientific literature on other kinds of bats (and we're assuming it applies to fruit bats as well). The deal is that the tendon of the muscle that flexes the claw passes through a tough sheath that consists of 19-50 rings, oriented at an angle so that the inside surface is ridged. So there's some ratchet-action going on in the sheath that holds the claw in a grasping position even after the muscle has relaxed, and it's the tension on that tendon from the body weight that holds the ratchet in place. When the bat wants to move, the tension is released and therefore the claw releases its hold. So basically, the clenched position is the "at rest" position, and the releasing of the foot is the part that takes energy.

If you haven't yet, I highly suggest you make a trip over to the Oakland Zoo to see these highly captivating animals for yourself.

Watch the Cool Critters: Fruit Bats television story report online. Also, if you’d like to see close-up photos of these bats, please visit our photo set over on Flickr.

There we were, 12 Oakland Zoo staff, winding our way down the Big Sur coast. We were spending a clear, bright Sunday morning with Sari, a biologist from the Ventana Wildlife Society, in hopes of learning about condors and perhaps catching a glimpse of this highly endangered bird. On route from the Ventana Wildlife Society's rustic outpost office in Andrew Molera Park, Sari told us a bit about condor history, her work and the nature of condor breeding.

The California Condor was at the brink of extinction due to habitat loss, poaching and lead and DDT poisoning. In 1987, the US government approved a captive breeding program and the 22 remaining condors were captured and bred at various California zoos with the help of the Ventana Wildlife Society. Now 147 California Condors live freely and are beginning to reproduce in the wild: a true conservation success story!

Though lead poisoning is still a threat (see Quest Piece), conservationists hope that recent lead bullet legislation will bring that threat to an end. The Ventana Wildlife Society also trains their charges to avoid electrical wires, another challenge to their survival.

Sari's job is to monitor all of the 42 condors that call Big Sur home. She tracks them with antennae that pick up their radio tags every day, and if 5 days go by without seeing one of them, she goes on a mission to find them. Not surprisingly, Sari loves her job.

Us zoo folk were most impressed by their unique breeding story. Condors do not successfully reproduce until age nine and then lay only one egg every two winters. Once hatched, the chick stays in the nest for six months, completely dependent on parental feeding and care. Even after fledging, the young condor sticks with the parent for another year or so. This is a lot for a bird and it is no wonder that bringing the population back from the brink requires some help.

Finally, we stopped just a bit north of Julia Pfieffer Park and piled out:

Big Sur, big cliffs, big sky, big expectations…and then there they were…really BIG BIRDS! Three condors sat on pines not too far from us, bending the tips of the tree with their weight. Through Sari's scope or binoculars, we could see their radio tag numbers, their bald pink heads, their feathery, boa-like neck feathers and their giant bodies.

As we observed their behaviors of submissive biting and displacing each other on their chosen perches, random people stopped their cars to see what we were up to and Sari took time to talk to each newly inspired condor enthusiast.

Then, against all seeming odds, they lifted their bodies, displayed their nine and half feet wingspan, and soared right by us…once, twice, three times. They seemed to be riding the wind, representing everything good that we humans can do for nature, once we try.

You, too, can take a tour with Ventana, every second Sunday of the month.

Visit "Bringing the Condors Home," a fantastic condor exhibit that will be at The Oakland Zoo this September.

Organic Fed / Certified Organic

All organic eggs are certified by the USDA. Organic eggs come from hens whose feed is free of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and commercial fertilizers. Organic chicken feed contains no animal byproducts and the hens have never been given antibiotics.

Hormones and Antibiotics:

The FDA banned the use of hormones – most notably diethylstilbestrol, or DES – in poultry in 1959, after they not only caused tragic health problems in consumers but also failed to stimulate growth in chickens. "Hormone free" is a misleading bit of marketing that suggests other egg producers are illegally dosing their birds.

Kept in Cages

Some hens are kept in battery cages; enclosures so small the animals can't spread their wings. Battery caged hens are crammed as many as six chickens into a cage at a time, leaving each bird with less personal space than a sheet of ordinary notebook paper. Critics say the battery system causes the spread of disease, requires the painful de-beaking of birds, and restricts natural bird behaviors, such as dusting or nesting.

Have Access to Outside

"Free Range" and "Free Roaming" are terms that bring to mind idyllic barnyard scenes. These labels, which are regulated by the USDA, may be used by a producer if their hens are allowed some access to the outdoors. This does not guarantee constant access, nor is there any specification of the size of the outdoor area (which is, of course, a penned area, not a range).

Beaks Clipped

Also known as debeaking, or beak trimming, is a process by which parts of the beak of a chicken or turkey are trimmed. Many variations of debeaking are used. Most commonly, the beak is shortened permanently, with the lower beak somewhat longer than the upper beak. The goal of this is to reduce cannibalism in stressed-out bird populations, such as in crowded egg-laying hen houses.

Forced Molted

When light and temperature are manipulated so hens lay eggs more than normal.

Omega-3 enriched

Omega-3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid considered crucial by some for developing brains and preventing heart disease and depression. Farmers boost the omega-3 content of their hens' eggs by adding ground flaxseed, algae, or even fish oil to the birds' feed.

My own kind choice is to stay informed, shop at the local farmers' market and ask questions, and someday, raise my own.

If you have any tips or insights into local egg farms, please do share!

For more egg carton terms, go to:

http://blog.pennlive.com/naturalliving/2007/06/eggs.html

Amy Gotliffe is Conservation Manager at The Oakland Zoo.

Once upon a time in the far away land of Hong Kong, a woman named Jill Robinson discovered that beautiful moon bears where being held captive in tiny cages in China and farmed (through their bellies) as a living source for bear bile, which is used in traditional medicines. She decided to do something heroic about the issue and founded the Animals Asia Foundation. Animals Asia became a thriving organization, dedicated to ending cruelty and restoring respect for all animals in Asia.

For many moon bears, their stories have a happy ending. Jill and the AAF crew have rescued 500 bears, releasing them into their idyllic sanctuary in Chengdu China. Newly rescued moon bears tentatively step on fresh grass, slowly learn to climb, socialize, scamper through bamboo, wrestle and eat honey, finally becoming a real bear.

Of course, the bears can't go from cages to sanctuary directly; they must endure urgent veterinary care and often surgery to remove the bile equipment from their bodies. Bears must be anaesthetized to receive this care and it is important that they stay warm and comfortable during the process. Just as with humans, the bears' extremities are the first things to get cold and that is where knitters on the West Coast of the United States, worlds away, come in. They must knit giant bear mittens!

The Oakland Zoo is hoping to have some mittens knitted in order to hand them directly to Jill Robinson on May 21, when she speaks at the Oakland Zoo. We will have a knitting party at the zoo on Friday, May 9, from 1pm-3pm. However, mittens can be turned in to the Oakland Zoo at anytime and mailed to China in the hopes that the thousands of moon bears still in captivity will need them soon.

The mitten pattern allows for several weights of yarn and includes instructions for knitting in the round with one circular, two circulars, double-pointed needles, or knitting flat. Finished mittens are about 7″ wide (14″ circumference) with a 12″ foot and 6″ cuff. The pattern is intended to be beginner level, but if you have any questions about the techniques mentioned, you might find the website knittinghelp.com helpful.

Click here for the pattern and try it yourself:

bearbooties.pdf

The Oakland Zoo will be working with Article Pract in Oakland on more mittens for bears.

Find out more about Moon Bears and their plight, and meet Jill Robinson on Wednesday, May 21 at 6:30 for the lecture entitle, "From Prison to Paradise: Rescuing the Endangered Asian Moon Bear. Bring the family to Bear Day at the Oakland Zoo on Saturday, May 17.

Some of this information is thanks to Twisted, the Knit Shop in Oregon who is helping the Oregon zoo knit mittens.


Amy Gotliffe is Conservation Manager at The Oakland Zoo.

For us humans, that might mean flirty skirts, a new perfume, a dapper new hat or hip hair cut, all in the hopes of attracting a new, or very old and loyal, perfect mate. Plants also feel the call of spring and respond. They too show off their brightest colors, excrete their most seductive scents and attempt to lure a mate. Of course, plants can't move (very quickly), so they hire a pollinating partner, and pay them to assist with reproduction.

Pollination is the act of moving pollen from the male anther to the female stigma. Plants work hard to attract these pollinators, and nectar is their delicious reward. Plants and their flowers take their job of attracting so seriously, that they have evolved to become irresistible to their pollinator. Pollinators, in turn, have adapted to a particular plant. Some of these Co-evolved partners have become so exclusive, that one could not survive without the other. Thus, attracting that pollinator is vital. Perhaps, with these tricks of attraction, we can all have a successful spring!

Like some humans, snapdragons have stooped to trapping. As an unsuspecting bee, just interested in a good dinner, sits on a lower petal, their weight causes the stamen to tip downward and dump dusty pollen on the bee's fuzzy body to carry onward.

The honeysuckle takes advantage of those who prefer the nightlife. Nocturnal moths are turned on by the pale white flowers that glow in the moon light and the alluring nighttime scent.

The African Raflessia flower knows that their partner has an unusual fetish and radiates a once-a-year stench of rotting flesh. Its petals peel away, revealing a brownish, fleshy color and the smitten flies come at once.

Queen Anne's lace takes pity on pollinators with short proboscises (ahem…) and offers pollen at the base of their tiny flowers, where bees, ants, wasps and beetles can easily dine.

The columbine flower offers very potent nectar in a bright, red, long flower: perfect for the active hummingbird with their long tongue and penchant for the color red.

In Madagascar, The 40ft Travelers Tree attracts the black and white ruffed lemur to climb the trunk, pull apart the flower bracts and stick their snout and tongues deep inside the flower. Nobody could do it better.

The agave plant works hard to attract the long-nosed bat with its night-blooming, tall flowers and strong nectar. (So if you were planning on a date that included tequila, you and the agave may thank a bat).

Now, why should we care about all of this wild romance? One reason is that one out of every three bites we take comes from a pollinated plant. Another is that without pollinating partners, we would miss out on such aphrodisiacs as strawberries, blueberries, garlic and chocolate.

So this spring, on your next dinner date, thank a pollinator for the delicious meal and know that the plants and I wish you the best of luck and love.

To learn more about pollinators, visit www.coevolution.org and attend a lecture on April 3^rd at The Oakland Zoo: Connecting Pollinators, Plants and People with Laurie Adams (www.oaklandzoo.org/news_and_events/detail/248).

Amy Gotliffe is Conservation Manager at The Oakland Zoo.